Richard, Dave and I have been working on since January. I have to say, it's nice to be able to give the School an anniversary gift.
I started at the School in 2003. I was fresh out of school that January and had been working since then for Biology. In December of 2002, Sarah and I made the rather monumental decision to ditch the high-stress, high-energy, high-paying Ottawa Tech scene for a more suitable lifestyle in Kingston. So far, on balance, we have no regrets.
Since starting at the School, Sarah
has started and finished her Masters degree and is midway through her
PhD. We're now married, have bought our first house, made two trips
overseas, and have made many lifetime friendships that, while
brief, we shall cherish forever.
The School of Computing is a fantastic work environment. The faculty are great, my co-workers are a hoot, and the students are a joy to work with. One fantastic aspect of working at the School is that it accommodates employees as they grow. Several years ago now I wanted to try my hand at a Linux Live CD. That September the School of Computing released an official CASLab Linux Live CD. This is but one example. Generally speaking, any directions that I've wanted to grow towards have been accepted and encouraged by the School.
In five years of work, I can count on one hand the number of times I've not looked forward to going to work. Personally, I think that's a pretty impressive record.
Yes, there are parts of my job that I like more than others. Yes, there are a few things I'd off-load if I could, but in general, the parts of my job that I now find boring are the best parts of the Biology job that I held before starting at the School of Computing. They are a fantastic employer and I am happy to be a part of this team.